From Pudong airport to the centre
3 stopsUpdated July 2026
The fastest train in the world leaves this airport, hits three hundred and eighty an hour and does the run in seven minutes. And it has two problems nobody mentions in the photographs: it doesn’t take you downtown, and it shuts around ten at night. If you land at eleven at Pudong, the Maglev doesn’t exist for you.
The alternative is the metro, line 2, which does reach the centre but not in one go either: there’s a mandatory change halfway that people don’t expect and that leaves you sitting there thinking you’re nearly home. Neither option is bad. Both have small print, and knowing it before you land is all it takes.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
The Maglev, and its two catches
No other commercial magnetic-levitation train remains in service in the world: it doesn’t touch the track, it’s held up by electromagnets, and it peaks at three hundred and eighty kilometres an hour. There’s a display in the carriage counting the speed up and everyone photographs it. It does the run in seven minutes and leaves every fifteen or twenty.
The two catches. One: it doesn’t reach the centre. It ends at Longyang Road, which is in Pudong and in the middle of nowhere, and there you change to metro line 2 and carry on for another long half-hour. So the famous seven minutes are only the first leg.
Two: it shuts early, around ten to ten at night, and opens around a quarter to seven in the morning. A flight landing at eleven misses it.
With big luggage and a deadline, a taxi is better. With time and curiosity, get on it, because it’s a machine that exists nowhere else.
- 02
Line 2, and the change nobody expects
Metro line 2 runs from Pudong airport to People’s Square and East Nanjing Road, which is the actual centre, and it costs a fraction of the Maglev. It’s the option locals use. It takes a little over an hour.
And here’s the detail to know that almost nobody tells you: it isn’t a through journey.
At Guanglan Road there’s a mandatory change, because the airport section is worked by short four-car trains and the rest of the line runs eight-car ones.
The change is across the platform and it’s quick, but if you don’t know about it you sit there waiting to arrive somewhere that train isn’t going. Everyone gets off. So do you.
- 03
Which to take, and when
The short rule: arriving in daylight, with light luggage, and up for the experience, take the Maglev and change to the metro at Longyang Road. Arriving with big bags, with children or in a hurry, take the metro straight from the terminal and skip the shuffling, or take a taxi. And if you land after ten at night, the Maglev is gone: the decision is made for you.
Two notes that apply across China and apply here too. One: carry your hotel’s address written in Chinese characters, because drivers rarely read anything else. Two: if you’d rather call a car on an app, the one for foreigners is DiDi Rider, the international version, not Chinese DiDi, which is a different product.
And never take anyone who approaches you inside the terminal offering a car.
Frequently asked
Is the Shanghai Maglev worth it?
If you arrive in daylight, with light luggage and you fancy the experience, yes: it’s the only commercial maglev in the world and it hits 380 km/h. But it doesn’t reach the centre (it ends at Longyang Road, where you change to line 2) and it shuts around ten at night.
Does line 2 go straight from Pudong airport to the centre?
No: there’s a mandatory change at Guanglan Road, because the airport section is worked by short four-car trains and the rest of the line runs eight-car ones. The change is across the platform and it’s quick, but you need to know. It’s about 68 minutes to People’s Square.
What do I do if I land late at Pudong?
The Maglev is gone: it shuts around ten to ten at night. That leaves metro line 2, while it’s running, or a taxi. Carry your hotel address in Chinese characters and never take anyone who approaches you inside the terminal offering a car.